Cape Town is a port city on South Africa’s southwest coast, on a peninsula beneath the imposing Table Mountain. This gorgeous city is much acclaimed for its exotic fauna and flora. Visit this gorgeous place to relish boats heading for Robben Island in Table Bay. Indeed, Cape Town educational tour is the one to go for!
Arrive at Cape Town International Airport where you will be met by your tour guide. Cape Town is South Africa’s oldest city and was founded by the first Dutch settlers who, led by Jan van Riebeeck, landed on the tip of Africa in April 1652. Set beneath the grandeur of Table Mountain, the area was described by English circumnavigator Francis Drake as “the fairest cape in all the circumference of the earth”, though later, as a busy and hospitable port on the sea route to India, the town earned the name “tavern of the seas”. Travel to the lower cable station from where you take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain (weather permitting).Transfer to your hotel where you check-in and overnight stay at the hotel.
Enjoy a scrumptious breakfast before departing on a tour of the Cape Peninsula. Travel via Lion‟s Neck to Camps Bay. Then travel along with the Twelve Apostles and the Atlantic Seaboard to the “Republic of Hout Bay”. Embark on a boat trip to Duiker Island to view the seal colony frolicking in the sea around the island and various sea birds. View the sentinel from where guards watched the horizon for approaching enemy warships in the early days of the Cape Colony. (Weather permitting; alternatively to Duiker Island is World of Birds – one of the world’s largest bird sanctuaries.)
Proceed to Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, forming part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, which encloses more than 4500 plant species (fynbos) (the highest concentration of different species in such a small area anywhere in the world). As the funicular takes you to the Lighthouse at Cape Point, imagine for a moment what it must have been like to sail around this point in the days of Dutch and Portuguese seafarers, in their small sailing ships, bringing spices and silk to Europe from the Far East. This is where the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean supposedly meet.
The tour then takes you to Simon’s Town to visit the Jackass Penguin colony (also known as African Penguins), one of the only two breeding colonies on the mainland, at Boulders. While in Simon‟s Town, visit the statue of Just Nuisance. Just Nuisance was the only dog ever to be officially enlisted in the Royal Navy. He was a Great Dane who from 1939 – 1944 served at HMS Afrikander, a Royal Navy shore establishment in Simon‟s Town. He died in 1944 and was buried with full military honors. Your next stop is at the famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, the third most popular tourist attraction in the Western Cape. Kirstenbosch is the oldest and largest botanical garden in South Africa and one of the top 7 flower gardens in the world. Kirstenbosch was established on 01 July 1913 through an act of Parliament as a result of a bequest of Cecil Rhodes to the peoples of a unified South Africa (camphor and fig trees planted on his request are still to be seen as well as an almond hedge planted by 150 French shipwrecked people who were given food and shelter by Dutch Governor Jan Van Riebeeck some 340 years ago). Today, over 22,000 indigenous plants, and a research unit and library, attract researchers and botanists from all over the world. The gardens are magnificent, glorying in lush shrubs and exuberant blooms, which trail off into fynbos, covering a huge expanse of the rugged eastern slopes and wooded ravines of Table Mountain. The setting is quite breathtaking – this is a great place to have tea/coffee (own account) and stroll along the many paths, which meander along the eastern slopes. Opportunity to see some of the birdlife of the Western Cape. Return to your hotel and past the Oude Meule (the only Dutch Wind Mill remaining in South Africa). In the evening meet at reception for your transfer to Africa Café. You don‟t eat, you feast – communally from a succession of bowls brought to your table by a smiling waitress who explains their contents. The restaurant offers an interesting ‘African Feast’ with samples of foods from across the continent (included). Order as much as you like of the ones you enjoy!
Today you travel to Oudtshoorn on “Route 62”, one of the most beautiful travel routes in South Africa. The country road meanders through the fertile valleys of the Klein Karoo, past rugged rock formations. Time and again the road leads over steep passes, which open up to spectacular views of wide land.
Visit the Cango Caves, one of South Africa‟s greatest natural attractions. Cango‟s exquisite tour of dripstone, curtain-like formations hanging from cavern roofs, calcite flowers, stalactites, and stalagmites takes visitors 800 meters into the mountainside.
On arrival in Oudtshoorn check into your hotel. Visit the Cango Ostrich Farm in the afternoon for a complete and comprehensive guided tour and become familiar with ostrich farming and the life cycle of the ostrich. Visitors are introduced to the Ostrich industry – from eggs, the chicks to the mature birds and allow visitors to sit on and ride the Ostriches. Those who are not so daring can hug and feed the birds. Enjoy dinner on the farm, before you return to your hotel.
Known as the „feather capital‟ of the world, Oudtshoorn is located on the broad, dry plains of the Little Karoo between the Swartberg range to the north and the coastal mountain rampant in the south. It‟s a substantial town, hub of an industry that was at its peak in the later 19th and early 20th centuries, a period when feathers were a prominent, almost overwhelming fashion accessory. Continue through the beautiful Lake District to the heart of the Garden Route, Knysna.
Nestling on the banks of a shimmering lagoon Knysna is a natural paradise of lush indigenous forests, tranquil lakes, and golden beaches. Within the town, craft shops, flea- markets, and cozy cafes ‟s beckon with small-town charm and hospitality.
Knysna is synonymous with fine indigenous timbers and famed for the craftsmanship of its furniture and timber products. The area is a veritable Garden of Eden: home to the only forest elephant in South Africa, the unique Knysna seahorse, and the Pansy Shell, the brilliantly colored Knysna Loerie, a plethora of waterfowl and forest birds, dolphins, and visiting whales.
Spend the afternoon at leisure browsing around the Knysna Waterfront development before you depart on an afternoon cruise. In return, enjoy dinner at the Knysna Waterfront.
Today you travel along the breathtakingly beautiful Garden Route to Port Elizabeth. Visit the Tsitsikamma National Park. This park is one of the country‟s longest, narrowest, and loveliest parks, and encompasses nearly 80 km of the Cape‟s coastal strip. Much of the fascination of this park lies in its wealth of both terrestrial and aquatic animals and plants, and their interaction. A number of rivers and streams cut through deep ravines before discharging into the Indian Ocean. Here there are cliffs, caves, golden sands, and myriad rock pools. The valleys and mountain slopes are clothed in a rich variety of forest trees and shrubs, and on the narrow coastal plains, the evergreen forests give way to fields of fynbos. Roughly in the middle of the park is the mouth of the Storm‟s River. A short walk takes you to the suspension bridge across the river, affording superb views of the Stormsriver Gorge and sea. Enjoy lunch at the restaurant in the reserve (own account). Continue to The Big Tree, a 36m Outeniqua yellowwood, in an indigenous forest, with trees of nearly 1 000 years old still reaching into the sky. An interpretative trail to the Big Tree describes the trees.
Continue to Port Elizabeth, where the British Settlers were first introduced to their new land in 1820. It is a vibrant easy-going metropolis, known to locals as “The Friendly City” – a reference to its pledge to “put people first”. The good-natured ambiance, the mellow atmosphere of its lazy beaches, and its warm, temperate climate combine to make Port Elizabeth an engaging tourist treats. On arrival depart on an orientation city tour. Continue to your hotel where you check-in. Enjoy dinner (included)
Enjoy a healthy breakfast before travelling to Kariega Game Reserve situated 80 minutes drive from Port Elizabeth. Set high above the spectacular Kariega River Valley, you cannot get closer to nature than in this wondrous African wilderness, in the heart of the 1820 Settler Country, with its rich historical heritage. Sanctuary to abundant game and wildlife such as lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, rhino, hippo, hyena, giraffe, zebra, eland, wildebeest, waterbuck and a variety of antelope, as well as a myriad of bird species, including nesting Martial, Crowned and Fish Eagles, this 6000-hectare private game reserve is a must, for those seeking the retreat and the thrill of the great outdoors and an African Safari vacation of a lifetime.
The arrival time at the reserve is 12:30 for lunch. Check-in immediately before lunch is served. After lunch, you can relax and take in the magnificent views from your chalet. At 16:00 you are collected by an experienced Ranger in an open vehicle and you set out into the reserve for an evening safari. Kariega is home to abundant birdlife and game and you might spot Lion, Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Hippo, Hyena, Giraffe, Zebra and numerous antelope species. Sundowners are served in the tranquil surroundings of the African bushveld. Return to the lodge and freshen up before meeting in the pub for pre-dinner drinks (own account). The fireplace in the pub creates a cosy ambience, where you can relax and share your experiences of a day spent in the African Wilds. Afterwards sample the speciality, the venison of the beautifully situated restaurant in Kariega Game Reserve (included).
Awaken to the beauty of Africa and depart at 06:00 for a combined game drive and river cruise meandering down the Kariega River on the “Kariega Queen”. The cruise meandering along the thickly forested riverbank will provide a perfect opportunity to view a wide range of kingfishers and other birdlife or listen to the cry of the Fish Eagles that nest along the river.
Enjoy a late breakfast at approximately 09:00, upon your return to the Lodge. Between breakfast and lunch you can simply relax or choose between a host of additional activities:
After lunch, you can enjoy a siesta and at 16:00 you once again depart on a game drive to search for the more elusive members of the “Big Five”. The term Big Five was granted by big-game hunters to the five most dangerous and difficult animals to hunt. The collection consists of the lion, the African elephant, the African Buffalo, the Leopard, and the Black Rhinoceros. The 1990 release of South African Rand banknotes features a different Big Five animal on each denomination.
Enjoy your dinner around the campfire under the stars of African night skies. Lit by lanterns, the Boma makes for an unforgettable culinary experience.
Enjoy breakfast and check out. Transfer to Port Elizabeth Airport for your connecting outbound flight. Here ends our Cape Town educational tour!
This information is primarily for parents: All our tours are teacher led. If you’re interested in sending your child a tour, please send us the contact information of the concerned teacher in his/her school. We will contact the school authorities and pursue it further. Once the school approves the tour, students can register for the tour.
Registration and Documentation: You need to fill in the registration form provided and submit the necessary documents (which will be informed to you) along with the registration fees.
Manage Deadlines: Triplou Educational Tours makes all the arrangements for your tour months in advance. It is important for you to adhere to all the payment deadlines provided to you to ensure that your child’s reservation is secure.
Get Prepared For The Tour: You will receive a detailed itinerary, details of hotels and a copy of your ticket from us. Students should spend some time on preparation work. Your child should read up about the places they are about to visit.
Read our instructions for students and packing tips. It is important to read the code of conduct for students and explain it to your child.
